This is a fcuking joke IMO.  I blame the mawkish "Self Pity City" lobby.



The Liverpool football fan who was jailed for the attempted murder of a 
barman in Bulgaria will be released from prison in less than three years.
Michael Shields, 21, from Edge Hill was jailed for the attack in May 2005, 
but has always protested his innocence.

Shields' sentence was reduced to 10 years on appeal, and he was moved to the 
UK prison system in 2006.
His time served in Bulgaria will now be counted as part of his sentence and 
he will be released in May 2010.
Michael Shields parents said they they were told the news a couple of days 
ago but were waiting for it to be confirmed.
Shields, from Edge Hill, Liverpool, was transferred to HMP Hindley in Wigan, 
Greater Manchester, in November after a £90,000 fine was paid.
He has now been moved to prison in Preston.

He was jailed for the attempted murder of barman Martin Georgiev, who had a 
paving slab dropped on his head in the Black Sea resort of Varna in May 
2005.
His lawyers appealed to the European Court of Human Rights on the grounds 
his rights were violated during the trial, but the appeal was rejected.
He been holidaying in Bulgaria after travelling from neighbouring Turkey, 
where he had watched his team beat AC Milan in the Champions League final on 
TV.
Shields told the court he was asleep at the time of the incident.
The Home Office had earlier said that time spent in prison in Bulgaria would 
not be counted as part of his sentence, but it has now accepted that it 
should count towards his time served.
Riverside MP Louise Ellman, who has been acting on behalf of the Shields 
family, said she was going to continue to campaign for a pardon.
-- 
Where there is discord, may we bring harmony.
Where there is error, may we bring truth.
Where there is doubt, may we bring faith.
And where there is despair, may we bring hope.
Margaret Thatcher, 3rd May 1979.
http://www.conservatives.com

"Darth Simian"  wrote in message 
news:ChdKi.5446$Sg4.708@fe09.usenetserver.com...
> This is a fcuking joke IMO.  I blame the mawkish "Self Pity City" lobby.
>
>
>
> The Liverpool football fan who was jailed for the attempted murder of a 
> barman in Bulgaria will be released from prison in less than three years.
> Michael Shields, 21, from Edge Hill was jailed for the attack in May 2005, 
> but has always protested his innocence.
>
> Shields' sentence was reduced to 10 years on appeal, and he was moved to 
> the UK prison system in 2006.
> His time served in Bulgaria will now be counted as part of his sentence 
> and he will be released in May 2010.
> Michael Shields parents said they they were told the news a couple of days 
> ago but were waiting for it to be confirmed.
> Shields, from Edge Hill, Liverpool, was transferred to HMP Hindley in 
> Wigan, Greater Manchester, in November after a £90,000 fine was paid.
> He has now been moved to prison in Preston.
>
> He was jailed for the attempted murder of barman Martin Georgiev, who had 
> a paving slab dropped on his head in the Black Sea resort of Varna in May 
> 2005.
> His lawyers appealed to the European Court of Human Rights on the grounds 
> his rights were violated during the trial, but the appeal was rejected.
> He been holidaying in Bulgaria after travelling from neighbouring Turkey, 
> where he had watched his team beat AC Milan in the Champions League final 
> on TV.
> Shields told the court he was asleep at the time of the incident.
> The Home Office had earlier said that time spent in prison in Bulgaria 
> would not be counted as part of his sentence, but it has now accepted that 
> it should count towards his time served.
> Riverside MP Louise Ellman, who has been acting on behalf of the Shields 
> family, said she was going to continue to campaign for a pardon.
> -- 
> Where there is discord, may we bring harmony.
> Where there is error, may we bring truth.
> Where there is doubt, may we bring faith.
> And where there is despair, may we bring hope.
> Margaret Thatcher, 3rd May 1979.
> http://www.conservatives.com
>
>      burp.....................pardon

In message <ChdKi.5446$Sg4.708@fe09.usenetserver.com>, Darth Simian 
 writes
>This is a fcuking joke IMO.  I blame the mawkish "Self Pity City" lobby.

10 years for attempted murder does not seem an unusual sentence. Parole 
is often considered after 50% of the sentence is served. However, 
Shields continued claims of innocence will act against him - as some 
form of contrition is expected by parole boards. So he may end up 
serving the full ten years.

Don't see where the 'Self Pity City' fits into this.

-- 
Brendan
"Me favourite colour's blue" - Ringo Starr in /The Simpsons/

"treblein99"  wrote in message 
news:MsdKi.22383$BW4.7299@fe1.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
>
> "Darth Simian"  wrote in message 
> news:ChdKi.5446$Sg4.708@fe09.usenetserver.com...
>> Shields told the court he was asleep at the time of the incident.
>> The Home Office had earlier said that time spent in prison in Bulgaria 
>> would not be counted as part of his sentence, but it has now accepted 
>> that it should count towards his time served.
>> Riverside MP Louise Ellman, who has been acting on behalf of the Shields 
>> family, said she was going to continue to campaign for a pardon.
>> -- 
>> Where there is discord, may we bring harmony.
>> Where there is error, may we bring truth.
>> Where there is doubt, may we bring faith.
>> And where there is despair, may we bring hope.
>> Margaret Thatcher, 3rd May 1979.
>> http://www.conservatives.com
>>
>>      burp.....................pardon
>
That's more than he deserves.  Louise Ellman has no experience of law or 
criminology, and did not attend the trial.  The New Labour cow is simply 
trying to appeal to the Kopite vote.

On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 20:26:15 +0100, "Darth Simian"
 wrote:

>This is a fcuking joke IMO.  
>
>
>
>The Liverpool football fan who was jailed for the attempted murder of a 
>barman in Bulgaria will be released from prison in less than three years.
>Michael Shields, 21, from Edge Hill was jailed for the attack in May 2005, 
>but has always protested his innocence.
>

The joke, and a very sick one, was his being found guilty in the first
place.
It might have escaped your notice that another Liverpool fan confessed
to the attack before Shields trial even took place, but the Bulgarian
authorities refused to admit his statement in evidence.  
There is also plenty of other evidence to back up Shields claim that
he was innocent.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,2090686,00.html

>I blame the mawkish "Self Pity City" lobby.

I blame our education system. It failed totally in your case.

On 26 Sep, 01:27, Ian D  wrote:

> It might have escaped your notice that another Liverpool fan confessed
> to the attack before Shields trial even took place, but the Bulgarian
> authorities refused to admit his statement in evidence.


And it seems to have escaped your notice that the fan retracted that
confession later.

"johnty"  wrote in message 
news:1190789488.674738.325050@57g2000hsv.googlegroups.com...
> On 26 Sep, 01:27, Ian D  wrote:
>
>> It might have escaped your notice that another Liverpool fan confessed
>> to the attack before Shields trial even took place, but the Bulgarian
>> authorities refused to admit his statement in evidence.
>
>
> And it seems to have escaped your notice that the fan retracted that
> confession later.  Well you would wouldnt you?
>
>
>
>
>
>

["Followup-To:" header set to alt.sports.soccer.everton.]
johnty illuminated alt.sports.soccer.everton by typing:
> On 26 Sep, 01:27, Ian D  wrote:
>
>> It might have escaped your notice that another Liverpool fan confessed
>> to the attack before Shields trial even took place, but the Bulgarian
>> authorities refused to admit his statement in evidence.
>
>
> And it seems to have escaped your notice that the fan retracted that
> confession later.

Remember, he was "forced" to wear a T-shirt. Obviously he was
innocent.

Dirty Bulgarian bastards.

-- 
Moog

"Some mornings it just doesn't seem worth it to gnaw through the
leather straps."

"johnty"  wrote in message
news:1190789488.674738.325050@57g2000hsv.googlegroups.com...
> On 26 Sep, 01:27, Ian D  wrote:
>
>> It might have escaped your notice that another Liverpool fan confessed
>> to the attack before Shields trial even took place, but the Bulgarian
>> authorities refused to admit his statement in evidence.
>
>
> And it seems to have escaped your notice that the fan retracted that
> confession later.
>
>
>
>
>
>

And his account of what he allegedly did, did not tally with the actual
events that Shields was accused of.

But hey, he's a kopite so MUST be innocent, they are after all the SELF
PROCLAIMED best fans in the world.... yawn!

On 26 Sep, 11:42, "Diablos Rojos"  wrote:

> But hey, he's a kopite so MUST be innocent, they are after all the SELF
> PROCLAIMED best fans in the world.... yawn!

Yet in your mind, he's a kopite so he MUST be guilty..... give it a
rest FFS

"wellred"  wrote in message 
news:1190812923.401100.62250@g4g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
> On 26 Sep, 11:42, "Diablos Rojos"  wrote:
>
>> But hey, he's a kopite so MUST be innocent, they are after all the SELF
>> PROCLAIMED best fans in the world.... yawn!
>
> Yet in your mind, he's a kopite so he MUST be guilty..... give it a
> rest FFS
>
>

Far from it idiot, I took the relevant facts which point heavily to his 
guilt.

On 26 Sep, 14:28, "Diablos Rojos"  wrote:
> "wellred"  wrote in message
>
> news:1190812923.401100.62250@g4g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>
> > On 26 Sep, 11:42, "Diablos Rojos"  wrote:
>
> >> But hey, he's a kopite so MUST be innocent, they are after all the SELF
> >> PROCLAIMED best fans in the world.... yawn!
>
> > Yet in your mind, he's a kopite so he MUST be guilty..... give it a
> > rest FFS
>
> Far from it idiot, I took the relevant facts which point heavily to his
> guilt.


Peter Coles, former head of major crimes for Nottinghamshire police,
shares his dismay: 'I was a policeman for 35 years and if any of my
men had conducted a case like this they would have been sacked,' he
says. 'The ID process was a farce; the non-collection of available
evidence was a farce; the court proceedings were a farce.'

["Followup-To:" header set to alt.sports.soccer.everton.]
wellred illuminated alt.sports.soccer.everton by typing:
> On 26 Sep, 14:28, "Diablos Rojos"  wrote:
>> "wellred"  wrote in message
>>
>> news:1190812923.401100.62250@g4g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>>
>> > On 26 Sep, 11:42, "Diablos Rojos"  wrote:
>>
>> >> But hey, he's a kopite so MUST be innocent, they are after all the SELF
>> >> PROCLAIMED best fans in the world.... yawn!
>>
>> > Yet in your mind, he's a kopite so he MUST be guilty..... give it a
>> > rest FFS
>>
>> Far from it idiot, I took the relevant facts which point heavily to his
>> guilt.
>
>
> Peter Coles, former head of major crimes for Nottinghamshire police,
> shares his dismay: 'I was a policeman for 35 years and if any of my
> men had conducted a case like this they would have been sacked,' he
> says. 'The ID process was a farce; the non-collection of available
> evidence was a farce; the court proceedings were a farce.'

Peter Coles program was a load of rubbish. Did you see it? Anyway, I
believe he get a terrific pay cheque for doing it.

Nice work if you can get it.

-  
Moog

"Some mornings it just doesn't seem worth it to gnaw through the
leather straps."

"wellred"  wrote in message 
news:1190818323.799309.151370@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
> On 26 Sep, 14:28, "Diablos Rojos"  wrote:
>> "wellred"  wrote in message
>>
>> news:1190812923.401100.62250@g4g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>>
>> > On 26 Sep, 11:42, "Diablos Rojos"  wrote:
>>
>> >> But hey, he's a kopite so MUST be innocent, they are after all the 
>> >> SELF
>> >> PROCLAIMED best fans in the world.... yawn!
>>
>> > Yet in your mind, he's a kopite so he MUST be guilty..... give it a
>> > rest FFS
>>
>> Far from it idiot, I took the relevant facts which point heavily to his
>> guilt.
>
>
> Peter Coles, former head of major crimes for Nottinghamshire police,
> shares his dismay: 'I was a policeman for 35 years and if any of my
> men had conducted a case like this they would have been sacked,' he
> says. 'The ID process was a farce; the non-collection of available
> evidence was a farce; the court proceedings were a farce.'
>

So now kopites suddenly trust in the English Police?

pmsl...as I said idiot.

On 26 Sep, 16:32, "Diablos Rojos"  wrote:

> So now kopites suddenly trust in the English Police?
>
> pmsl...as I said idiot.

Knobhead, prick, idiot, gobshite.... just names lad. Nothing big or
clever about calling people names over the internet.. Grow up FFS

"wellred"  wrote in message 
news:1190820943.791288.164860@r29g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> On 26 Sep, 16:32, "Diablos Rojos"  wrote:
>
>> So now kopites suddenly trust in the English Police?
>>
>> pmsl...as I said idiot.
>
> Knobhead, prick, idiot, gobshite.... just names lad. Nothing big or
> clever about calling people names over the internet.. Grow up FFS
>
>


So now kopites suddenly trust in the English Police?

You neglected to answer that, so I assume it's only when it suits your cause 
eh?

On 26 Sep, 16:46, "Diablos Rojos"  wrote:
> "wellred"  wrote in message
>
> news:1190820943.791288.164860@r29g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
>
> > On 26 Sep, 16:32, "Diablos Rojos"  wrote:
>
> >> So now kopites suddenly trust in the English Police?
>
> >> pmsl...as I said idiot.
>
> > Knobhead, prick, idiot, gobshite.... just names lad. Nothing big or
> > clever about calling people names over the internet.. Grow up FFS
>
> So now kopites suddenly trust in the English Police?
>
> You neglected to answer that, so I assume it's only when it suits your cause
> eh?

Well for a start, I can't answer for all kopites. I can only answer
for me.. I couldn't say I trust in anyone or anything 100%, but I
respect the man's experience as a head of major crimes. I had an open
mind before watching the program but I found the points he made about
the Michael Shields case valid ones. How about yourself? Did you watch
the program?

On 26 Sep, 16:46, "Diablos Rojos"  wrote:

> You neglected to answer that, so I assume it's only when it suits your cause
> eh?

I haven't got a cause either by the way. Well.. apart from keeping fit
and healthy, in work, out of debt (as far as reasonably practicable)..
That kind of stuff..

"wellred"  wrote in message
>
> Peter Coles, former head of major crimes for Nottinghamshire police,
> shares his dismay: 'I was a policeman for 35 years and if any of my
> men had conducted a case like this they would have been sacked,' he
> says. 'The ID process was a farce; the non-collection of available
> evidence was a farce; the court proceedings were a farce.'
>

I'm not commenting on the innocence/guilt of the subject.

However..Nottinghamshire police are the most incompetent force in the UK.

"Stefan Walker" <stefan.walker&SPAM-FILTER&@clara.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1190825661.1994.0@proxy02.news.clara.net...

> "wellred"  wrote in message
> > Peter Coles, former head of major crimes for Nottinghamshire police,
> > shares his dismay: 'I was a policeman for 35 years and if any of my
> > men had conducted a case like this they would have been sacked,' he
> > says. 'The ID process was a farce; the non-collection of available
> > evidence was a farce; the court proceedings were a farce.'

> I'm not commenting on the innocence/guilt of the subject.

if he was guilty (of  attempted murder) then short of applying the maximum
sentence - life imprisonment, it seems reasonable that an 18yr old be given
another chance in life.
Life - even for murder often works out at 10-15 years, for the lesser
offence it seems reasonable that 5 years would see the release of shields
again given his age.

i often wonder about these "injustice" cases and it seems [all too often ]
to me that those who continue make their case throughout their sentence are
often finally redeemed from their vilification, that said i'm sure plenty
never do but we all know the high profile cases over the years and the sort
of "sentences" these people end up serving, guilford bombing - 12-15 years
served, birmingham six - 16 years.

briefly, added to the case for shields is the list of politicians,
councillors, community leaders and so on who have argued safety of the
conviction , i presume these people do not get into these issues lightly.

given the circumstances of the sankey confession - [ why would anyone admit
to a crime - through a solicitor - that they did not commit? ] - either
sankey IS guilty - in which case shields should be released immediately or
[ and this is stretching a credible explanation ] he [ sankey ] was acting
"on behalf" of shields - begging the question that surely some link between
the two be established in order to disprove the credibility of the sankey
confession.


--

On 26 Sep, 15:52, wellred  wrote:

>
> Peter Coles, former head of major crimes for Nottinghamshire police,
> shares his dismay: 'I was a policeman for 35 years and if any of my
> men had conducted a case like this they would have been sacked,' he
> says...


>'The ID process was a farce; the non-collection of available
> evidence was a farce; the court proceedings were a farce.'

Sacked my arse. These are the well-known methods of a number of police
forces in this country.

Diablos Rojos wrote:
> And his account of what he allegedly did, did not tally with the actual
> events that Shields was accused of.
> 
Get out! Really? That's amazing! Sankey mustn't be guilty them, or that 
would probable make him the first person in history to give police a 
watered-down account of a crime he committed to get a lighter sentence. 
I don't think that ever would have happened in the history of the entire 
world.

> But hey, he's a kopite so MUST be innocent, they are after all the SELF
> PROCLAIMED best fans in the world.... yawn!
>  
Ever stop to think that the person most 'Kopites' think did it was also 
on a trip to the Euro cup final, so is likely a 'Kopite' himself? Tit.

I don't know whether Shields is guilty or not (and neither do you), but 
only a complete fool could claim that he got a fair and unbiased trial.

"Timbo" <timbo@noreply.invalid> wrote in message
news:13fla4kp0t8cq5e@corp.supernews.com...
> Diablos Rojos wrote:
>> And his account of what he allegedly did, did not tally with the actual
>> events that Shields was accused of.
>>
> Get out! Really? That's amazing! Sankey mustn't be guilty them, or that
> would probable make him the first person in history to give police a
> watered-down account of a crime he committed to get a lighter sentence. I
> don't think that ever would have happened in the history of the entire
> world.


Really, you don't say? You'd think though there would be a lot more
similarities with Sankies account and what actually happened with Shields
wouldn't you?  However most thinking since then seems to point to the fact
that Sankey was involved in a completely different Fracas in a different
part of the town.  That tends to get lost in the free the innocent Shields
campaign though.


>
>> But hey, he's a kopite so MUST be innocent, they are after all the SELF
>> PROCLAIMED best fans in the world.... yawn!
>>
> Ever stop to think that the person most 'Kopites' think did it was also on
> a trip to the Euro cup final, so is likely a 'Kopite' himself? Tit.
>

Most are not arsed about getting justice for the Bulgarian waiter only
gaining freedom for the hard done to Shields.

> I don't know whether Shields is guilty or not (and neither do you), but
> only a complete fool could claim that he got a fair and unbiased trial.



The European court of human rights have been petitioned and have refused to
act, that in itself tells you something.

Diablos Rojos wrote:
> "Timbo" <timbo@noreply.invalid> wrote in message
> news:13fla4kp0t8cq5e@corp.supernews.com...
>> Diablos Rojos wrote:
>>> And his account of what he allegedly did, did not tally with the actual
>>> events that Shields was accused of.
>>>
>> Get out! Really? That's amazing! Sankey mustn't be guilty them, or that
>> would probable make him the first person in history to give police a
>> watered-down account of a crime he committed to get a lighter sentence. I
>> don't think that ever would have happened in the history of the entire
>> world.
> 
> 
> Really, you don't say? You'd think though there would be a lot more
> similarities with Sankies account and what actually happened with Shields
> wouldn't you?  However most thinking since then seems to point to the fact
> that Sankey was involved in a completely different Fracas in a different
> part of the town.  That tends to get lost in the free the innocent Shields
> campaign though.
> 
> 
>>> But hey, he's a kopite so MUST be innocent, they are after all the SELF
>>> PROCLAIMED best fans in the world.... yawn!
>>>
>> Ever stop to think that the person most 'Kopites' think did it was also on
>> a trip to the Euro cup final, so is likely a 'Kopite' himself? Tit.
>>
> 
> Most are not arsed about getting justice for the Bulgarian waiter only
> gaining freedom for the hard done to Shields.
> 
>> I don't know whether Shields is guilty or not (and neither do you), but
>> only a complete fool could claim that he got a fair and unbiased trial.
> 
> 
> 
> The European court of human rights have been petitioned and have refused to
> act, that in itself tells you something.
> 
> 
> 

*TILT*

lol. :)

-- 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scoopex/

Diablos Rojos wrote:
> "Timbo" <timbo@noreply.invalid> wrote in message
> news:13fla4kp0t8cq5e@corp.supernews.com...
>> Diablos Rojos wrote:
>>> And his account of what he allegedly did, did not tally with the actual
>>> events that Shields was accused of.
>>>
>> Get out! Really? That's amazing! Sankey mustn't be guilty them, or that
>> would probable make him the first person in history to give police a
>> watered-down account of a crime he committed to get a lighter sentence. I
>> don't think that ever would have happened in the history of the entire
>> world.
> 
> 
> Really, you don't say? You'd think though there would be a lot more
> similarities with Sankies account and what actually happened with Shields
> wouldn't you? 

Like what? Like Sankey actually dressing as the alleged attacking did? 
Oh wait, that did happen. Sankey throwing a block at a person's head 
during a fight? Oh wait, that did happen.

> However most thinking since then seems to point to the fact
> that Sankey was involved in a completely different Fracas in a different
> part of the town.
>
No, most thinking seems to point to the fact that Sankey committed the 
crime that he confessed to, and then withdrew when it became clear to 
him that his confession was going to prevent him from going to football 
games. Considering that there is no report of anyone else being hit by a 
brick that night, and considering that he was quite certain he did it, I 
would wager that he did. Up until his confession, I was much like you, 
and thought that Shields had probably done it, but I'm quite sure now 
that there is enough doubt that something should be done. Shields was 
convicted only on the eyewitness testimony 4 people, 2 of which say he 
didn't do it. Eyewitness testimony has been shown time and time again to 
be unreliable, and in this case, the police should have collected 
additional evidence.

>>> But hey, he's a kopite so MUST be innocent, they are after all the SELF
>>> PROCLAIMED best fans in the world.... yawn!
>>>
>> Ever stop to think that the person most 'Kopites' think did it was also on
>> a trip to the Euro cup final, so is likely a 'Kopite' himself? Tit.
>>
> 
> Most are not arsed about getting justice for the Bulgarian waiter only
> gaining freedom for the hard done to Shields.
> 
It is not uncommon for people to be more concerned with events and 
people that are closer to home. You can see that every day by the fact 
that we have local news. A bomb in Iraq gets less coverage in the UK 
media than does a violent bashing in a British city.

>> I don't know whether Shields is guilty or not (and neither do you), but
>> only a complete fool could claim that he got a fair and unbiased trial.
> 
> The European court of human rights have been petitioned and have refused to
> act, that in itself tells you something.
> 
Yes it does, but it does not tell us anything about his guilt. The 
European courts are understandably hesitant to dictate to individual 
states how they should run their legal systems.

Timbo wrote:
> Diablos Rojos wrote:
>>
>> Really, you don't say? You'd think though there would be a lot more
>> similarities with Sankies account and what actually happened with Shields
>> wouldn't you? 
> 
> Like what? Like Sankey actually dressing as the alleged attacking did? 
> Oh wait, that did happen. Sankey throwing a block at a person's head 
> during a fight? Oh wait, that did happen.
> 
     No, that didn't happen. Maybe Sankey really threw a brick - like he 
alleged. Maybe he even hit somebody - who knows. Point is, that's not 
the crime Shields was accused of.


>> However most thinking since then seems to point to the fact
>> that Sankey was involved in a completely different Fracas in a different
>> part of the town.
>>
     That's correct.


> No, most thinking seems to point to the fact that Sankey committed the 
> crime that he confessed to, and then withdrew when it became clear to 
> him that his confession was going to prevent him from going to football 
> games. Considering that there is no report of anyone else being hit by a 
> brick that night, and considering that he was quite certain he did it, I 
> would wager that he did.

     Problem is, the victim was /not/ hit by a brick, but by a stone 
slab that can't be thrown (and that slab was identified by matching the 
victim's DNA).


> Up until his confession, I was much like you, 
> and thought that Shields had probably done it, but I'm quite sure now 
> that there is enough doubt that something should be done. Shields was 
> convicted only on the eyewitness testimony 4 people, 2 of which say he 
> didn't do it. Eyewitness testimony has been shown time and time again to 
> be unreliable, and in this case, the police should have collected 
> additional evidence.
> 
     No, Sankey's confession was probably false, and was IMO an attempt 
by Shield's family and supporters to trick the system into releasing 
him. Or maybe it really was Sankey that hit Georgiev, and made a half 
hearted attempt to free the innocent Shields, but for some reason chose 
to misrepresent the facts in a way that made no sense.
     I am not happy with the way the police handled the case, and 
Shields /could/ be innocent, but so far we have not seen any legally 
admissible indications as to who the real culprit might have been.

On 27 Sep, 19:05, Timbo <ti...@noreply.invalid> wrote:

>
> No, most thinking seems to point to the fact that Sankey committed the
> crime that he confessed to, and then withdrew when it became clear to
> him that his confession was going to prevent him from going to football
> games.

What evidence is there for this opinion?

Patok wrote:
> Timbo wrote:
>> Diablos Rojos wrote:
>>>
>>> Really, you don't say? You'd think though there would be a lot more
>>> similarities with Sankies account and what actually happened with 
>>> Shields
>>> wouldn't you? 
>>
>> Like what? Like Sankey actually dressing as the alleged attacking did? 
>> Oh wait, that did happen. Sankey throwing a block at a person's head 
>> during a fight? Oh wait, that did happen.
>>
>     No, that didn't happen. Maybe Sankey really threw a brick - like he 
> alleged. Maybe he even hit somebody - who knows. Point is, that's not 
> the crime Shields was accused of.
> 
>     Problem is, the victim was /not/ hit by a brick, but by a stone slab 
> that can't be thrown (and that slab was identified by matching the 
> victim's DNA).
> 
Yeah, I know that Sankey's statement doesn't match the details of the 
attack, but having seen Shields go down for 15 years, and knowing that a 
confession might get him extradited, Sankey would surely have 
watered-down the events of the night. His version is that he was 3 or 4 
people ran towards him with sticks, bottles, etc, and he picked up a 
brick, threw it, and it hit someone. He is trying to make it sound like 
self defence, rather than the vicious attack that it was.

> 
>> Up until his confession, I was much like you, and thought that Shields 
>> had probably done it, but I'm quite sure now that there is enough 
>> doubt that something should be done. Shields was convicted only on the 
>> eyewitness testimony 4 people, 2 of which say he didn't do it. 
>> Eyewitness testimony has been shown time and time again to be 
>> unreliable, and in this case, the police should have collected 
>> additional evidence.
>>
>     No, Sankey's confession was probably false,
> 
Do you really think he would risk going to prison just to get someone 
else out though? I've not really seen any indication that this is the case.

> and was IMO an attempt 
> by Shield's family and supporters to trick the system into releasing 
> him. Or maybe it really was Sankey that hit Georgiev, and made a half 
> hearted attempt to free the innocent Shields, but for some reason chose 
> to misrepresent the facts in a way that made no sense.
>
To make it seem like self defence.

>     I am not happy with the way the police handled the case, and Shields 
> /could/ be innocent, but so far we have not seen any legally admissible 
> indications as to who the real culprit might have been.

I think a signed confession is legally admissible? Plus the English 
witnesses that claim to have seen Sankey do it, but were mysteriously 
not called by prosecutors or defence. It could be because they are 
talking bollocks, but there were several English people there at the 
time, and none testified. Also, the first anyone heard about Graham 
Sankey was when the guy that sat next to him on the plane to Liverpool 
claimed that he told him he was responsible, and said that he was the 
luckiest guy on earth.